LAKEWOOD, Ohio – When students walk through the doors of Lakewood High School Aug. 22, they’ll be greeted by a new building principal but a familiar face.

Keith Ahearn is the new school principal as part of a rearrangement of administrators that put new principals in place at seven of the district’s school buildings this coming school year.

Ahearn said many of the students already know him, which will be an advantage. For the past four years, he has been principal of Harding Middle School in Lakewood. He said he jumped at the chance to become high school principal after former principal Bill Wagner was promoted to a human resources position.

“I have been interested in expanding my professional experience,” Ahearn said. “I love the Lakewood city schools, and I think the high school is the center of this community.”

Ahearn said he and principals at the other buildings are going to face a variety of challenges.

“The No. 1 priority of schools is student achievement in a safe and orderly environment,” he said. “That doesn’t change no matter where you are. It also begins with making sure students are getting an excellent education so they are prepared for college and career.”

However, specific challenges he expects to face as high school principal include adapting classes to conform with new Common Core standards that are being adopted across the nation and explaining and helping teachers, students and the community adapt to a new style of state report cards that rank the effectiveness of schools and school districts. The state is transitioning to a letter-grade system from a system that used terms including “excellent.”

“It’s a more rigorous accountability model than in the past,” Ahearn said.

For students returning to the high school this year, they shouldn’t look for any dramatic changes, he said.

“I have inherited a building that is in really good shape,” Ahearn said.

Six other Lakewood schools have new principals. At Harding Middle School, Joseph Niemantsverdriet comes from the Revere local schools, where he was middle school principal. At Harrison Elementary School, Sabrina Crawford will become principal after 15 years with the Warren city schools. At Horace Mann Elementary School, Merritt Waters comes from the Olmsted Falls school district. At Lincoln Elementary, Sandy Kozelka will become principal. At Hayes Elementary, Sandra Powers will take the leadership role after serving as principal with the Garfield Heights city schools. Finally, longtime Harrison Elementary School Principal Phillis Muth will move to Grant Elementary.

The large number of leadership changes are the result of a combination of retirements and professional advancements, Superintendent Jeff Patterson said.

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